


Know The Giver By Their Gifts

by Starbooks13



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Character Study, Christmas, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Implied Relationships, Merry Christmas Everyone!, Rated Teen for a naughty gift, Though More Fluff, Though the mention's very brief, gift-giving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-26
Updated: 2013-12-26
Packaged: 2018-01-06 04:23:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1102354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starbooks13/pseuds/Starbooks13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which you can tell a lot about a person and their relationships by the gifts they give at Christmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Know The Giver By Their Gifts

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas, everyone! Hope you enjoy this little one-shot. :)

                Steve’s gifts are carefully wrapped in red, white, and blue.  They stand in a neat pile underneath the Christmas tree in the common room, stacked in alphabetical order.  He hands them out with a shy smile and the most sincere “Merry Christmas” you will ever hear.

                To Bruce, he tends to give books that he thinks Bruce would enjoy.  He spends days trying to pick out just the right one, and he tends to have excellent judgment.  Bruce can always be seen reading Steve’s gift during his spare time immediately after Christmas.

                To Thor, he gives “How To” guides that he’s found particularly useful in helping him acclimate to the modern world.  Steve’s culture clash is nowhere near as bad as Thor’s, especially since Thor often has to go off-world while Steve tends to stay on planet Earth.  Thor always thanks him with great enthusiasm and, like Bruce, can be seen reading Steve’s gifts in the days following.

                To Clint, Natasha, and Tony, he tends to give the same type of present: one of his drawings.  It’s nearly impossible for him to shop for Tony, the man who has everything, and he never feels particularly secure shopping for the two SHIELD agents.  But all three of them have expressed interest in his artwork and praised his skills as an artist, so such gifts tend to work out.  Clint gets goofy circus-themed drawings which he laughs at when he opens, but will look at later in his room with tears in his eyes, remembering the good parts of his childhood instead of the bad.  Tony gets drawings of people and situations Steve remembers from his past that Tony knew in the present, and Pepper pointedly avoids remarking on the drawing of Howard that Tony has framed for his workshop.  Natasha gets drawings of herself lounging around the Tower, and she looks at them after long undercover missions when she’s struggling to cast off her alias and become Natasha again.

                Steve’s gifts are personal and heartfelt, as genuine as the man who gives them.

 

                Tony’s gifts are haphazardly wrapped in bright, gaudy colors.  They are randomly strewn under the tree in the order in which they were completed.  He hands them out with an expression of childlike glee and begs the receiver to “Open it, open it, open it!”

                To Bruce, he gives expensive new lab gear or some rare specimen that Bruce has been trying to get his hands on.  Each gift is wrapped in neon green, and comes with a card promising that it won’t explode.  Bruce always scurries off to the lab with his present as soon as the group gets released from Christmas bonding activities.

                To Clint, he gives new custom-made trick arrows.  They come wrapped in bright purple and Tony always starts explaining them before Clint has even finished taking off the wrapping.  Clint will never admit it, but Tony’s Christmas presents are a thousand times better than anything SHIELD R&D has ever created for him.

                To Thor, he gives gag gifts like “I Love NYC” mugs and a book of Norse myths.  They come wrapped in glittery gold with Mjolnir drawn badly on the side.  Thor always treats them like precious treasures, and is careful to never smash any mug Tony gives him.

                To Steve, he gives embarrassing Captain America paraphernalia, like red, white, and blue boxers and DVD copies of Steve’s old war films.   They come colored identically to Steve’s presents, except nowhere near as nicely wrapped.  Steve always laughs and thanks Tony for the gifts, even though they both know that more often than not he passes them off to Coulson.

                To Natasha, Tony gives all manner of James Bond-esque gadgets, like exploding lipstick cases and compacts with miniature computers inside.  They come wrapped in bright red with pathetic-looking spiders scrawled on the sides.  Natasha never goes on a mission without a Stark Christmas gift at her side.

                Tony’s gifts are expensive, sometimes tasteless, but, like the man who gives them, always treasured.

 

                Bruce’s gifts are neatly wrapped in the same gaudy colors that Tony uses—largely because he tends to just mooch off of Tony’s leftover Christmas supplies.  They also tend to be strewn randomly under the tree in the order Bruce finishes them.  He hands them out with laughing brown eyes and gentle hands.

                To Tony, he gives the latest scientific book or study Bruce thinks he would be interested in.  In a year when Bruce himself has gotten something published, he makes sure to give Tony an autographed copy.  Tony Stark is not a man who enjoys reading, but he always reads whatever Bruce gives him.

                To Steve and Natasha, his fellow readers in the Tower, he gives books he thinks they would like.  But he never gives them the same book—it’s always something different for each one.  Steve and Natasha always use the books as excuses to engage Bruce in conversation whenever he’s feeling particularly withdrawn or lonely.

                To Thor, who has expressed interest in learning more about Midgardian “science” beyond his beloved Jane’s specialty of astrophysics, he gives science textbooks.  He started with a very basic, elementary school-level comprehensive text, but has been gradually giving him higher level materials each year.  Thor always goes to him when he has questions about the material, having come to appreciate the brilliant mind behind the Hulk just as much as his smash-happy shield brother.

                To Clint, he gives antique vinyl records, since the archer collects them.  They’re always the hardest gifts to find, but it’s worth it to see the smile on Clint’s face when he opens them.  And whenever Bruce is having trouble staying calm, Clint will always use the antique record player Tony gave him for his birthday one year to play the most soothing music he has to help his buddy out.

                Bruce’s gifts are thoughtful, intelligent, and generally aren’t used to smash things—everything he tries to be in his day-to-day life.

 

                Thor’s gifts are somewhat clumsily wrapped in Christmas-themed wrapping paper.  They tend to be in one great heap underneath the tree, dumped together all at once.  He hands them out with his big, sunny smile, ready for an explanation of the gift’s likely Asgardian origin.

                To Tony and Bruce, he gives either a piece of Asgardian technology or a copy of a text from the royal library.  The uses and subjects range from medicine to warfare and everything in between, generally pre-translated into English for Tony and Bruce’s convenience.  The team’s resident Science Bros will spend weeks, if not months, dissecting Thor’s Christmas presents, providing hours of entertainment for all involved.

                To the remainder of the Avengers, he gives either Asgardian armor or clothing.  Steve and Clint favor small pieces of armor they can wear under their civilian clothes for protection.  Natasha, however, favors the garments Thor swears his mother sews by hand; Thor to this day remains the only Avenger who can get away with giving her a dress.

                Thor’s gifts are exotic, elaborate, but clearly a labor of love; every bit a match for their loud, intimidating, but kindhearted giver.

 

                Clint’s gifts are neatly wrapped in plain brown paper, but also strewn carelessly underneath the tree.  The only way to tell them apart is by the names scrawled in black Sharpie on the tops.  Clint hands them out with averted eyes and a soft, muttered “Merry Christmas.”

                To Steve and Thor, he gives CDs and/or DVDs he thinks they need to have.  After a disastrous attempt by Tony, Clint has become the pair’s de-facto pop culture instructor, and so has ample time to figure out what about modern society actually entertains Steve and Thor.  Steve has developed a fondness for 1960s pop music and classic sci-fi films, while Thor loves epic instrumental music and big-budget CG-fantasy flicks.

                To Bruce and Tony, he gives the sort of gag gifts Tony tends to give Steve, only Iron Man and Hulk themed, respectively.  Since Tony actually collects his own memorabilia, Clint works hard to find the rarest items that Tony still doesn’t have in his collection, which on one memorable occasion included an Iron Man themed dildo.  He tries to keep Bruce’s gifts a little more low-key and practical, like pens or note pads, which Bruce remains eternally grateful for.

                To Natasha, Clint gives what could best be described as “deadly accessories.”  These range from everything from stiletto heels with actual stilettos in the heels to a dagger that doubles as a hair pin.  Like Tony’s gadgets, Natasha never goes on a mission without one of Clint’s gifts on her person, and they’ve saved her life on countless occasions.

                Clint’s gifts appear simple and somewhat impersonal, like Clint himself, but are still capable of showing how much he cares.

 

                Natasha’s gifts are flawlessly wrapped in real black silk with red satin bows.  They appear carelessly strewn, but in fact are strategically placed close to their recipient’s regular seat by the Christmas tree.  She does not hand them out, but will acknowledge who they belong to with a nod and a small smile.

                To Steve, she gives works of great literature that he has yet to read, as opposed to Bruce’s slightly more haphazard giving.  She also takes pains to make sure they are international classics and that Steve does not get a work from the same country two years in a row.  They also all tend to be translated into English, except for the books from France, Germany, and Russia, the three foreign languages that Steve can read with relative fluency.

                To Bruce, she gives herbal teas from around the world.  She tries to find the most exotic recipes possible to keep Bruce’s taste buds engaged, her own way of apologizing for Bruce’s inability to drink coffee anymore.  She always brews a cup for him after one of his Hulk-outs to help him calm down.

                To Tony, she gives little pieces of tech she’s stolen from SHIELD R&D.  Tony loves to stay abreast of what SHIELD is developing, and while she’ll never admit it, Natasha knows Tony can make it better.  Tony will always disappear to his lab after the Christmas festivities to play with his latest toy.

                To Thor, she gives collections of mythology from other cultures besides the Norse.  She made sure to give him the Greek ones first, even though the Russian myths are her personal favorites.  Thor enjoys them greatly and interestingly enough has actually found instances of non-Norse myths which tell a story he himself has heard and/or lived.

                To Clint, she gives little jokey souvenirs purchased on her solo assignments during the year.  It is her way of sharing with him what she could not tell him at the time, to reassure him that she has come back whole and alive.  It is a tradition that they started long before joining the Avengers, and Clint keeps all her gifts in a box underneath his bed.

                Natasha’s gifts are enigmatic, practical, and always tailored to appeal specifically to their chosen recipient—the Black Widow’s handiwork at its finest.

 

                Loki’s gifts are never wrapped.  They never appear under the Christmas tree, he never gives them out in person, and he never receives anything in return.  The Avengers will simply find the gifts waiting for them in their rooms at the end of Christmas Day.

                To Steve, he gives exotic throwing knives from all across Midgard and the Nine Realms beyond.  Each knife is intricately made and yet small enough for Steve to hide them in his clothes or even his costume.  Steve refuses to carry any of them, instead keeping them in a display case in the Tower armory, though from time to time various teammates have caught him practicing with them in the gym.

                To Tony and Bruce, he gives handwritten treatises on various aspects of magic, science, and technology.  His work brilliantly illuminates how Midgardian science can potentially come to understand magic, as well as how certain otherworldly cultures function.  Tony and Bruce can be heard debating Loki’s writings throughout the year, and Tony has sometimes started debates with Loki over his latest gifts mid-battle.

                To Clint, he gives pattered silk targets with his face on them.  His eye is always the bulls-eye.  On his roughest days, Clint will spend hours shooting arrows over and over again into Loki’s eyeball, and it actually helps him feel better.

                To Natasha, he gives intricate pieces of jewelry.  They tend to be necklaces that clasp tight around her throat and drape possessively over her collarbone, or bracelets that coil around her arms and ankles.  Natasha never seems to wear them unless they fit her character for a mission, but on nights when she mysteriously disappears from the Tower at sunset only to reappear by breakfast the next morning, one item is always missing from the jewelry box where she keeps them.

                To Thor, he gives letters in crisp golden envelopes, with an emerald “L” stamped on the wax seal.  They begin with “Dear Brother,” and proceed to briefly outline how his year has gone, though he leaves out any details that might allow Thor to either find him or stop any upcoming nefarious plans.   On the nights after the team has confronted Loki, Thor will read his letters over and over again, trying to find some reminder of the brother he lost in the man who has now lost the throne of Asgard a second time.

                Loki’s gifts are unapologetic, unexpected, and secretly valued; much like the Trickster who has wormed his way into their lives.


End file.
